President Joe Biden will sign a sweeping executive order this afternoon that his administration says will champion the rights of LGBT people, thereby “accelerating the march towards full equality” through a series of actions affecting several federal agencies.
Biden will urge Congress to pass the Equality Act, but his executive order also aims to curtail the practice of so-called conversion therapy, prevent youth suicide, and allow the homeless to seek shelters consistent with their gender identity. Biden also took credit for creating an “X” gender option on U.S. passports and reversing the ban on transgender service members, among other actions.
“President Biden always stands up to bullies,” a senior administration official said on a background call with reporters Wednesday morning. “These are important new actions that will improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of countless families across the country. They will send a powerful signal from the president to LGBTQI+ kids across the country who are feeling scared.”
According to a fact sheet released to reporters Wednesday, more than 300 anti-LGBT laws have been introduced in state legislatures over the last 12 months, and “many of them specifically target transgender children and their parents by banning access to medical care and support at school.”
Biden is welcoming hundreds of LGBT advocates to the White House this afternoon to sign the order and will be introduced by Javier Gomez, a Florida high school student who organized protests against his state’s Parental Rights in Education Act. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has become a magnet for criticism after signing the bill into law, saying he can’t be canceled after attracting protesters during a recent speech.
The executive order’s wide-ranging actions are outlined in a seven-page fact sheet released by the White House.
It will charge the Department of Health and Human Services with releasing sample policies for states detailing how to expand access to healthcare for LGBT patients. The Department of Education will be tasked with releasing sample school policies for “achieving full inclusion” for LGBT students.
The HHS will also promote access to “gender affirming care,” create a bill of rights for older LGBT adults, and work to reduce the use of “conversion therapy,” while the Federal Trade Commission will consider whether conversion therapy constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice and will potentially issue consumer warnings.
Regarding foster care and adoption, the HHS will be directed to strengthen nondiscrimination protections and implement training for child welfare personnel to support LGBT youth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will research “the impacts of family rejection on the mental health and long-term wellbeing of LGBTQI+ individuals,” and the attorney general will create a new clearinghouse within the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to provide resources to LGBT youth in the juvenile justice system.
The federal government will also step up its collection of sexual orientation and gender identity data, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development will restore measures ensuring that transgender people experiencing homelessness can access emergency shelters consistent with their gender identity.
The executive order comes at the halfway mark of Pride Month, with pride flags flying at the White House and other federal buildings in Washington, along with U.S. embassies overseas. The order comes as the number of people identifying as LGBT is skyrocketing, with one study estimating that the number of transgender youth has doubled since 2017.
Biden will speak about the executive order at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
